-Frontline.in The British government, on the basis of an 1891 report on the subhuman living conditions of “Pariahs” by James H.A. Tremenheere, Acting Collector of Chengleput, assigned 12 lakh acres of land for distribution to the “depressed classes” of the Madras Presidency to empower them socially and economically. But more than 100 years later, much of this land is in the possession of non-Dalits, and the struggle to reclaim them has...

-NDTV Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government today revived a traditional water resource management system involving public in the state's worst drought in more than a century. The government has taken the initiative to revive the 'Kudimaramathu' tradition that involves engaging farmers and local people to de-silt and look after tanks and ponds with a budget of Rs. 100 crore. K Sundaram, a small farmer at Manimangalam in Kancheepuram district, who has joined...

-The Hindu Business Line MS Swaminathan talks of the problems plaguing farmers and possible solutions Father of the Indian Green Revolution and renowned agri-scientist, Prof MS Swaminathan, in an interview with BusinessLine, states emphatically that the Centre’s promise of doubling farmer income can become a reality if careful thought is applied and a comprehensive plan is drawn up. The role of the State and the public are crucial here, he stresses. Excerpts: *...

-The Times of India Gurgaon: Only 565 environmental norm violations were reported in Gurgaon and Mewat areas of Aravali Hills between April 1992 and March 2015, and no action has been taken against any officials so far, according to an RTI reply. Of the 565 violations, 524 were filed in the court, which hears complaints that allege violations of environmental norms in Gurgaon and Faridabad areas, while 41 plaints are still pending...

-Scroll.in Botched-up beneficiary lists have denied the needy the government rations to which they are legally entitled. Even though few in eastern Uttar Pradesh’s Baksha village have ever seen the internet, every man, woman and child there knows the word online. Online for them means standing in a queue outside a computer shop with a bundle of documents that the shopkeeper consults as he types away into the computer. At the end...